Main Street Arkansas awards honor Rogers projects

Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2008

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Four projects associated with Main Street Rogers were honored Jan. 9 with Main Street Arkansas awards, Main Street Arkansas Director Cary Tyson announced. Main Street Arkansas is a program area of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

The Main Street Arkansas awards are presented biannually to recognize outstanding achievements by individuals, organizations and communities in helping to revitalize their downtown areas. The Main Street Arkansas Advisory Board selects the winners. The awards were presented at the annual conference of the Arkansas Municipal League in Little Rock.

Main Street Rogers-associated projects received the following awards • Best New Exterior Signage - Daisy BB Guns, Main Street Rogers • Best Business Commitment to Downtown - (tie ) Beth Guest, Main Street Rogers, and Rivertowne BBQ, Main Street Ozark • Royce Bolding Volunteer of the Year - Ron Bird, Main Street Rogers • Judy Thacker Board Member of the Year - Ed McClure, Main Street Rogers Also receiving Main Street Arkansas Awards were • Best Promotional Publication - "Showdown at Sunset "Trading Cards, Main Street El Dorado (The Main Street Advisory Board gave an Award of Merit in this category for Main Street Paragould's new program brochure. )

• Best New Downtown Business - (tie ) Elm Street Bakery, Main Street El Dorado, and Cotton and Kudzu, Main Street Helena • Best Creative Fundraising Effort - Main Street El Dorado's Union County Rock, Paper, Scissors championship • Best Faηade Renovation over $ 10, 000 - Garrett Building, Main Street El Dorado • Best Interior Design Project - Garrett Building, Main Street El Dorado • Best Facade Renovation under $ 10, 000 - Bass Music, Main Street Paragould • Best Downtown Public Improvement Project - Dickey-Stephens Park, Main Street Argenta (North Little Rock )

• Best Public / Private Partnership - Money for Main Economic Incentive Program, Main Street Blytheville and Blytheville / Gosnell Chamber of Commerce • Best Window Display - (tie ) Hoffman Architectural, Main Street Searcy, and Flowers by William, Main Street Dumas • Best Special Event - Downtown Blues and BBQ, Main Street Texarkana • Best Upper Floor Development - Larry and Joy Pennington, Main Street Argenta • Outstanding Main Street Merchant - Mary Gay Shipley, Main Street Blytheville • Spirit of Main Street - (tie ) Ed Hollar, Main Street Batesville, and Ramona Clower, Main Street Blytheville • Executive Director of the Year - Michael Drake, Main Street Argenta (This award winner is selected by vote of all of the Main Street Arkansas executive directors ).

Main Street Arkansas provides technical assistance and design services to help create economic development in the state's downtown areas. The Main Street approach to downtown revitalization focuses on four areas: design, economic restructuring, organization and promotion.

Cities currently involved in Main Street Arkansas are Batesville, Blytheville, Dumas, El Dorado, Hardy, Harrison, Helena, Little Rock's South Main Street, North Little Rock, Osceola, Ozark, Paragould, Rogers, Russellville, Searcy, Texarkana and West Memphis. Members of Main Street's Arkansas Downtown Network are Pine Bluff, Heber Springs, Fort Smith and Eureka Springs. Other sponsors of the Main Street Arkansas program are the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

For more information on the Main Street Arkansas program, write the program at 1500 Tower Building, 323 Center St., Little Rock, AR 72201, call (501 ) 324-9880 [TDD 501-324-9811 ], send e-mail to info @ arkansaspreservation. org or visit the Main Street Arkansas Internet Web site at www. mainstreetarkansas. com.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program is the Department of Arkansas Heritage agency responsible for identifying, evaluating, registering and preserving cultural resources. Other agencies are the Arkansas Arts Council, the Delta Cultural Center, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the Historic Arkansas Museum.

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